KENTUCKY ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES

LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

Monday January 13, 2014

The Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo) Legislative Committee met Monday, January 13, 2014, at 400 Englewood Drive, Frankfort, Kentucky.

Affiliate Membership present:

Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines, Warren County Sheriff; Chair, KACo Legislative Committee

Kentucky Magistrates & Commissioners Association: J.C. Young, Executive Director; Hubert Pollett, Legislative Chair; Sam Crawford, Legislative Liaison

Kentucky County Judge/Executive Association: Vince Lang, Executive Director; Jim Henderson, President

Kentucky Circuit Court Clerks Association: David Nicholson, Jefferson Circuit Court Clerk

Kentucky County Clerks Association: Katrina Fitzgerald, Meade County Clerk/President; Bill May, Executive Director

Kentucky PVA Association: Mack Bushart, Executive Director; Michael Welsh, Metcalfe County PVA/President

Kentucky Jailers Association: Renee Craddock, Executive Director; Mike Simpson, Oldham County Jailer/President

Kentucky Sheriff’s Association: Jerry Wagner, Executive Director

Kentucky County Attorneys Association: Bill Patrick, Executive Director; Marc Robbins, KACo Board Designee; Charles Horton, Jefferson County Attorney’s Office

Others present: Sara Massey, Louisville Metro Government; Randy Stevens, Kentucky Council of Area Development Districts; Audrey Simpson, Intern, KY Jailers Association; LaRue County Judge/Executive Tommy Turner

KACo staff present: Denny Nunnelley, Executive Director; Brian Roy, Deputy Director; Shellie Hampton, Director of Governmental Relations; Roger Recktenwald, Director of Research & Planning; Tim Sturgill, General Counsel; Rich Ornstein, Staff Attorney; Larry Crigler, Litigation Manager; Ellen Williams, KACo Contract Lobbyist; and Vicki Pettus, Legislative & Research Assistant.

Chair Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines called the meeting to order at 10:30 a.m. The roll was called and, with a quorum being present, the committee was duly constituted to conduct business.

OLD BUSINESS:

A. Approval of Minutes

Motion made by Vince Lang, seconded by Jerry Wagner, to approve the minutes of the November 22, 2013, meeting as presented. Motion carried.

January 13, 2014 Minutes Page 2

B. Current Bill Tracking List with Committee Positions

Shellie Hampton referred to the handout listing bills on which the Legislative Committee had already taken positions. There was some discussion on whether to change the position on SB 12 (Naloxone) from “Under Review” to “Support.” The Committee decided to keep the position Under Review.

C. Update on E911

Shellie Hampton reported that she is continuing dialogue with Rep. Martha Jane King, who is sponsoring legislation to raise the monthly wireless fee from 70 cents to $1.00. Judge Tommy Turner pointed out that the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has model legislation that assesses the fee at the retail level. Thirty other states have passed this sort of legislation, and Judge Turner said this approach may present a better opportunity to get something passed through our State legislature.

NEW BUSINESS:

A.  Senate and House Legislative Priorities for 2014 Session

Shellie Hampton reported that the Senate has identified five priorities for the session: (1) a constitutional amendment to allow lawmakers to overturn proposed administrative regulations by the governor and executive branch; (2) a bill limiting general fund-supported debt to 6% of the General Fund revenues; (3) a bill eliminating “super-sizing” of pensions when legislators leave the General Assembly and take a judicial seat or a high-paying executive branch job; (4) a bill requiring informed consent before a woman can have an abortion; and (5) a bill addressing Kentucky’s heroin problem.

The House has identified as its top priority a bill to raise Kentucky’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour over three years, and to deal with pay equity problems. This would mirror a bill that is currently under consideration in Congress.

B.  Committee Actions on New Bills for Review

The following pre-filed bills were discussed, on which the indicated actions were taken by the Committee. Motions carried unless otherwise noted.

HB 2 – Bachelor degree attainment/Coal College Completion Program. Under Review. Motion made by J.C. Young, seconded by Vince Lang.

HB 15 – Coal severance. Under Review. Motion made by J.C. Young, seconded by Vince Lang.

HB 5 – Personal Information Security. Under Review. Motion made by Bill May, seconded by Sam Crawford.

HB 19 – Delinquent taxes. Under Review. Motion made by Jerry Wagner, seconded by Marc Robbins.

HB 22 – Fuel taxes. Oppose. Motion made by Vince Lang, seconded by Jerry Wagner.

HB 27 – Firefighters. Oppose. Motion made by Vince Lang, seconded by J.C. Young.

HB 31 – Eminent domain. Support. Motion made by Vince Lang, seconded by Bill May.

SB 14 – Eminent domain. Support. Motion made by Vince Lang, seconded by Bill May.

SB 21 – Eminent domain. Support. Motion made by Vince Lang, seconded by Bill May.

January 13, 2014 Minutes Page 3

HB 38 – Electrical Inspections. Under Review. Motion made by Sam Crawford, seconded by Marc Robbins.

HB 46 – TVA. Support. Motion made by Vince Lang, seconded by J.C. Young.

HB 95 – Retirement. Under Review. Motion made by Jerry Wagner, seconded by Vince Lang.

HB 51 – Booking photographs. Support. Motion made by Mike Simpson, seconded by Vince Lang.

HB 67 – Casino gaming. Support. Motion made by Vince Lang, seconded by J.C. Young.

HB 68 – Gaming. Support. Motion made by Vince Lang, seconded by J.C. Young.

SB 33 – Casino Gambling. Support. Motion made by Vince Lang, seconded by Sam Crawford.

HB 80 – Motor vehicle operators. Support. Motion made by Mike Simpson, seconded by Jim Henderson.

HB 96 – Public procurement. Under Review. Motion made by David Nicholson, seconded by Vince Lang.

HB 49 – Crimes and punishment. Oppose. Motion made by Marc Robbins, seconded by Mike Simpson.

HB 100 – Heroin. Under Review. Motion made by Jerry Wagner, seconded by Vince Lang.

SB 11 – Drug trafficking. Under Review. Motion made by Jerry Wagner, seconded by Vince Lang.

HB 105 – Law enforcement fees. Support. Motion made by J.C. Young, seconded by Jerry Wagner.

HB 115 – Local government. Under Review. Motion made by J.C. Young, seconded by David Nicholson.

HB 129 – Local government operations. Support. Motion made by Mike Simpson, seconded by Jerry Wagner.

SB 25 – Knives. Oppose. Motion made by Vince Lang, seconded by J.C. Young.

SB 45 – Search warrants. Support. Motion made by David Nicholson, seconded by Marc Robbins.

C. Bill Drafts/Proposals for Discussion

Shellie Hampton summarized several issues for which legislation is currently being drafted or discussed. The Committee took no formal action on these initiative, opting to wait until they are introduced in bill form.

·  County roads – a bill draft by Rep. Bart Rowland allowing for vehicles with a gross weight of up to 80,000 pounds to travel on county roads. Judge Tommy Turner voiced his concerns about this.

·  Alcohol license fees – a working group’s proposed legislation to assure monies from fees will be used as authorized by statute. Though primarily a city issue, the Committee will watch this proposal for any implications for counties.

·  Motor vehicle tax proposal – a proposal to raise the floor for the average wholesale price to the 2012 level in order to capture the 9.8 cents that is unprotected.

·  LIFT (Local Investments for Transformation) – Sara Massey reported on a working draft of a bill for a constitutional amendment, allowing passage through voter referendum of a temporary local options sales tax. The final draft should be available in a couple of weeks.

·  Reclassification of Cities – Kentucky League of Cities’ proposed legislation to reduce the number of classifications of cities from six to three, based on system of government. Bill May stated that the Kentucky County Clerks Association will be discussing this at their next meeting on Thursday and will give a report at the next Legislative Committee meeting.

January 13, 2014 Minutes Page 4

D.  Other Bills or Issues of Interest

Jerry Wagner mentioned HB 161, which deals with re-employment of retired police officers, similar to what has been done for re-employment of retired State police.

Bill May asked for Committee support of a bill currently being drafted by the County Clerks, requiring the vote on local options to be held on the same day as regular elections. This will cut down costs of special elections. A motion was made by Bill May, and seconded by Vince Lang, to support this idea.

OTHER BUSINESS:

Shellie Hampton reminded members of the Committee of the County Officials Legislative Reception, to be held Thursday, February 20, from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at the Frankfort Civic Center.

The next meeting of the Legislative Committee is scheduled for Monday, January 27, 2014, at 10:30 a.m.

A motion was made by J.C. Young, and seconded by Mack Bushart, to adjourn the meeting at 11:59 a.m. Motion carried.

Minutes taken by: ______

Vicki M. Pettus

______

Chairman Jerry “Peanuts” Gaines

______

Date Approved